August 2009 MMA News Archive

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“I like big fights like that. It would be my pleasure, but if they gave me a title shot, it would be awesome. I have more experience than (Lesnar). That’s a big advantage I have. A lot of jiu-jitsu and good standing up, make him tired man, move around, move around. When I get his timing, hit him with a good right hand and box him, box him and get him tired. I’ve been in there a long time. I can see what’s going on. If he goes on the top into my guard, I can play with him. Let’s see, let’s see what is going to happen.”
UFC heavyweight contender Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira breaks down a possible future bout against current champion Brock Lesnar. “Minotauro” reinserted himself into the title picture with a thrilling three round victory over Randy Couture at UFC 102 on August 29 in Portland. That victory helped erase the memories of a “half-dead” Nogueira getting trounced by a suddenly pugilistic Frank Mir back at UFC 92. Does a reborn Big Nog still have the ability to finish off the major players in his division? Or will bruising behemoths like Shane Carwin and Brock Lesnar turn him into Brazilian confetti?

"Life is kinda moving along pretty fast now, especially after this (Andre) Arlovski fight. I feel this is well deserved, I mean, everything that happened, happened for a reason, and I was the one to complete it. I feel that I’m a different fighter for Fedor; he hasn’t felt the power that he’s about to get. He’s talented, but the same things he’s skilled in, I’m skilled in. It’s just we’re gonna see who’s more hungry."
Undefeated heavyweight wrecking machine Brett Rogers anticipates giving former PRIDE heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko more power than he can handle when the two clash this Fall for the Strikeforce promotion on Showtime. "Da Grim" has taken a serious step up in competition after knocking out Andrei Arlovski at the "Lawler vs. Shields" event back in June. Is he ready to dethrone "The Last Emperor?" Or will Emelianenko drop the iron curtain on the aspiring heavyweight? Time will tell…

If the CSAC makes it so via referee assignments, maybe. That today is according to veteran referee "Big" John McCarthy on possibly returning to UFC at UFC 104 in Los Angeles. California is one of a few states McCarthy is currently licensed in, meaning he could work the UFC event, but says it's up to the CSAC and there's no guarantee he'll be used.

Maryland joins the ever-growing list of states to hold professional MMA events on October 24, when Baltimore's John Rallo brings Shogun Fights to the 1st Mariner Arena in the heart of downtown Baltimore.

The Kansas Boxing Commission today revealed the main event fighter payouts and medical suspensions from Saturday's M-1 Breakthrough event. The Kansas Boxing Commission only tracks the fight purses for main-event fighters (though KBC commissioner Peter Howes said they'll expand the record-keeping in early 2010) so they only revealed that Muhammad Lawal & Mark Kerr made a combined $55,000 and that 5 medical suspensions were handed out-3 for 30 days, Kerr for 60 days and one is indefinite due to a shoulder injury.

When asked about the possibility of facing either Randy Couture or Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira somewhere down the line should he capture the title against Brock Lesnar, Carwin revealed:
“I was told that the winner of the Brock fight will likely face the winner of the Cain and Rothwell fight at UFC 104.”

A quickly filling WEC 44 card will apparently have a new and notable addition; undefeated lightweight contender Diego Nunes (13-0 MMA, 2-0 WEC) vs. L.C. Davis (14-2 MMA, 1-0 WEC).
A source close to one of the fighters told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) verbal agreements are in place but bout agreements not signed. WEC officials could not confirm the matchup.
Although not officially announced, WEC 44 is expected to take place Nov. 11 at a location and venue to be determined.

If you thought Saturday's Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Randy Couture UFC 102 main event fight might have swayed Dana White to change his mind and allow five-round non-title fights in the UFC, think again.
Although the Nevada State Athletic Commission has officially opened the door for non-title five-rounders, the UFC won't be using the option.
White admits that while watching Nogueira navigate his way to a decision victory at the Rose Garden Arena in Portland, Ore., he thought about it. But the purist in him wants to keep five-round fights strictly for championship bouts.

It looks like everyone that performed at UFC 102 is going to be just fine. The only person whose status is still unknown is Ed Herman. A few others such as Chris Leben, Krzysztof Soszynski, Chris Tuchscherer, Mark Munoz, and Justin McCully were further evaluated following the event.

The Oregon State Athletic Commission has revealed the disclosed fighter payouts from UFC 102. The total disclosed payouts were $1,285,000 with the biggest share-$400,000-going to Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.

As the sport of mixed martial arts continues to grow at an incredible rate, so too does the talent pool from which the UFC has to choose from when fine tuning its roster. As a result, most fighters get a little nervous about their future after losing back-to-back fights inside the Octagon.
Then again, Randy Couture isn’t like most fighters.
On the heels of his unanimous decision loss to Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at UFC 102 on August 29, the hall-of-famer and five-time champion has confirmed a new UFC contract that will secure his services for up to six fights in the span of 28 months.
The new deal supersedes his contract from September 2008, when “The Natural” returned from a bitter contract dispute to defend his title against Brock Lesnar at UFC 91.

PORTLAND, Ore. – Six months of build-up for UFC newcomer Todd Duffee (5-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) turned into just seven seconds of work.
After signing with the UFC way back in February, Duffee had to wait until this past Saturday's UFC 102 in Portland, Ore., to make his UFC debut.
And while the 23-year-old dispatched of Tim Hague in just seven seconds – the quickest knockout in UFC history – Duffee told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that's not the record he's most concerned with.
"Yes, I'm young, but I want to build my record," Duffee said. "I want a legit record, and I want to do it at this level."

PORTLAND, Ore. – One of the prevailing story lines surrounding Saturday's UFC 102 in Portland, Ore., was the slower-than-expected ticket sales for the UFC's debut in the Pacific Northwest.
In the end, the event attracted more than 16,000 fans for a $1.92 million gate – a figure White was told by officials ranked among the top-five gates ever at the Rose Garden.
But for a company that's used to jaw-dropping, record-setting attendance marks, the figures were a slight disappointment. Following the event, UFC president Dana White told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that he felt his company dropped the ball by over-pricing tickets in the struggling Portland market.

PORTLAND, Ore. – While many observers felt Saurday's UFC 102 contest between Nate Marquardt (29-8-2 MMA, 8-2 UFC) and Demian Maia (10-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) was an unofficial No. 1 contender contest, the next challenger for middleweight champ Anderson Silva (25-4 MMA, 10-0 UFC) remains unclear.
Marquardt impressively dispatched of Maia in just 21 seconds, picking up the Portland, Ore., event's "Knockout of the Night" in the process.
But following the event, UFC president Dana White wasn't quite ready to schedule Marquardt vs. Silva II, and Silva's camp told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that they feel the organization should go in a different direction.
i made a thread for this asking the same question shortly after the Marquart fight i guess the Silva camp agree with me

Four months have passed since Matt Hughes most recently entered the octagon, and it'll be at least another four before he makes his return.
On Thursday UFC president Dana White said he expects Hughes (43-7 MMA, 16-5 UFC) to fight again in early 2010, possibly around the time of the organization's annual SuperBowl weekend card.

The recently rescheduled "WEC 43: Cerrone vs. Henderson" event today secured a new location, as the organization announced it would be venturing for a second time to The Lone Star State.
WEC 43 will now take place on Oct. 10 at the 18,000-seat AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas.